Help Shape the Future of Gemology Education
Ready to take learning beyond the classroom?
At GIA, education is at the heart of everything we do. As the world’s foremost authority in gemology, we’re looking for a visionary Director, Online School to help shape what’s next in digital education.
This is an opportunity to lead an evolving online learning experience for students around the world, bringing GIA’s renowned expertise, innovation, and passion for gems to learners wherever they are. If you’re energized by the intersection of education, technology, and global impact, we’d love to meet you.
The Company
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a global organization dedicated to advancing gemological knowledge and education. Our headquarters are in beautiful Carlsbad, California.
The Location
This position is based at our Carlsbad, CA corporate headquarters, just minutes from the coast—because great ideas are even better with an ocean view.
What You Can Expect
We believe taking care of our people is just as important as investing in our mission. GIA offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:
- Competitive medical, dental, and vision plans
- 401(k) matching
- Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
- Tuition assistance
- Commuter benefits
The GIA Environment
Life at our Carlsbad campus comes with a few perks of its own:
- On-site café: Affordable made-to-order breakfast and lunch, plus your Starbucks favorites
- EV charging stations: Convenient, eco-friendly commuting options
- Ergonomic support: On-site and virtual assessments to help you work comfortably
- Ocean views: Yes, they’re as good as you’re imagining
Come lead the next chapter of online education at GIA—and help bring the world of gems to learners everywhere.
Position Summary
The Director, Online School provides strategic and operational leadership for GIA's online education business, ensuring high-quality, scalable, and compliant programs that support student success and institutional growth. This role is
accountable for Online School performance, including enrollment, retention, graduation outcomes, student experience, financial performance, academic technology, and regulatory compliance. The Director leads cross-functional teams, develops organizational capability, and drives continuous improvement initiatives that advance GIA's mission, reputation, and impact in online education.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership (30%)
- Lead the strategic direction and operational management of GIA's Online School, aligning priorities, systems, and governance with institutional goals and business objectives.
- Partner with Education leadership and key stakeholders to improve enrollment, retention, persistence, graduation, and student success outcomes.
- Establish, monitor, and drive performance against key operational, academic, enrollment, and financial metrics.
- Oversee student lifecycle performance, including inquiry-to-enrollment conversion, start rates, retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes.
- Manage the Online School budget, including forecasting, resource allocation, investment planning, and financial performance.
- Evaluate emerging technologies, industry trends, and regulatory developments to inform strategic planning and innovation.
- Lead risk management, business continuity, operational resilience, and reputation management initiatives.
- Develop organizational capability through talent development, succession planning, performance management, workforce planning, and leadership coaching.
Online Learning Quality & Faculty Support (30%)
- Provide leadership for the design, delivery, assessment, and continuous improvement of online and hybrid learning experiences.
- Partner with faculty and academic leadership to establish and maintain standards for instructional quality, accessibility, learner engagement, and technology integration.
- Provide strategic oversight of the Learning Management System (D2L Brightspace) and related academic technologies to ensure effective functionality, scalability, integration, and user experience.
- Champion best practices in online pedagogy, learner-centered instructional design, accessibility, and course consistency across programs.
- Establish quality assurance processes and evaluate course effectiveness through data, learner feedback, and outcomes assessment.
- Ensure compliance with accreditation standards, distance education regulations, institutional policies, and applicable educational requirements.
- Foster a culture of safety and operational excellence across online and on-campus instructional environments.
Student Experience & Operational Excellence (40%)
- Lead cross-functional initiatives that enhance the online student experience, improving engagement, responsiveness, satisfaction, retention, and student success.
- Ensure reliable delivery, scalability, and effectiveness of online learning technologies and student support services.
- Analyze operational, academic, enrollment, financial, and student experience data to identify trends and drive continuous improvement.
- Develop and implement reporting frameworks, dashboards, and performance analytics that support decision-making and accountability.
- Ensure compliance with FERPA, ADA accessibility standards, and all applicable regulations governing online education.
- Partner across departments, streamline processes, improve service delivery, and optimize the student journey.
- Drive operational effectiveness through process improvement initiatives, technology enhancements, and scalable business practices.
Job Competencies (Skills & Abilities)
- Strategic Leadership: Establishes vision, sets priorities, and aligns resources to achieve long-term organizational objectives.
- Leadership & Talent Development: Builds high-performing teams through coaching, mentorship, succession planning, and accountability.
- Results Orientation: Consistently delivers enrollment, retention, student success, operational, and financial outcomes.
- Analytical & Data-Driven Decision Making: Interprets complex operational, academic, and financial data to support sound decision-making.
- Decision Quality & Problem Solving: Evaluates risks, opportunities, and competing priorities to solve complex organizational challenges.
- Communication & Influence: Communicates effectively with diverse stakeholders and builds commitment through credibility and influence.
- Collaboration & Relationship Management: Develops strong partnerships across departments and external stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
- Change Leadership: Leads transformational initiatives, drives adoption of new processes and technologies, and fosters continuous improvement.
- Customer & Student Focus: Prioritizes the needs of students, faculty, and stakeholders while balancing compliance, quality, and business objectives.
- Technology & Distance Education Expertise: Demonstrates advanced knowledge of learning technologies, online learning operations, accessibility standards, and distance education best practices.
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge & Experience)
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in education, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Educational Technology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in education, online learning, academic operations, or a related field.
- Minimum of 7 years of experience leading and developing teams, including performance management and organizational development.
- Demonstrated success leading operational and strategic initiatives that improve student, business, and organizational outcomes.
- Experience managing budgets, resource planning, operational performance metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Working knowledge of distance education operations, accreditation standards, regulatory requirements, student success practices, and learning management systems.
Preferred
- Master’s degree in education, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Educational Technology, or a related field.
- Additional industry credentials, including Accredited Jewelry Professional (AJP), Graduate Jeweler Gemologist (GJG), and/or Jewelry Manufacturing Arts (JMA).
- Experience in higher education, adult learning, vocational education, or online learning environments.
- Experience with D2L Brightspace or comparable learning management systems.
- Graduate Gemologist (GG) diploma preferred.
Additional Requirements
- Hybrid work arrangement with regular on-site presence as business needs require.
- Ability to travel domestically up to 15-20% for meetings, educational events, conferences, and campus support.
- Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to support operational or educational activities.
Pay Range: $130-$165K
An Equal Opportunity Employer
All employment decisions are made without regard to unlawful considerations of race, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected status. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.
Disclaimer: This job description indicates in general terms, the type and level of work performed as well as the typical responsibilities of employees in this classification and it may be changed by management at any time. Other duties may also apply. Nothing in this job description changes the at-will employment relationship existing between the Company and its employees.
